This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. — John 15:12-15

What Jesus is getting at here is something I wish more believing men understood about Him and the church. When a man knows Jesus, he discovers an ever-increasing connection to Jesus and some incredible attributes and outcomes of a biblical community. But the sad truth is most believing men never know this.

Too many men claim they're too busy, and that they have too many other things going on. But this is a flat-out lie. This statement is always and only an excuse. It communicates that they don't care and don't think they need it. It's an attempt at being polite, but it communicates their trivial understanding of the inputs and outputs of a spiritual community. Most men don't know this, mainly because they never put in the time or the work.

Notice what these men experienced with Jesus. Covenantal relationship. Sacrificial commitment. Transformed identities. This is exactly what men want, but they never experience it because they prefer to do life alone. That is until they encounter an issue in life. Then, they discover through divorce, addiction, and unemployment that the thing they need is Jesus and His brothers. And, by the way, had they had Jesus and brothers in their lives before all those other things happened, they might have avoided all the unnecessary problems and pain.

So, fellas, it's time to be more proactive in your spiritual development. Trials are coming, and we need each other. We need covenantal relationships, sacrificial commitment, and transformed identities, but the only way to know this is to be in it. You need to make this a priority in your life. And that's what these 11 men here, the disciples of Jesus Christ, are about to discover. Trials are coming, and they need Jesus and each other. So make brotherhood a priority today.

ASK THIS:

1. In what ways have you let busyness or other excuses keep you from a deeper relationship with Jesus and fellow believers? How can you take practical steps to prioritize spiritual growth and godly relationships in your life?
2. How can you emulate the covenantal relationships, sacrificial commitments, and transformed identities that Jesus' disciples experienced? What might this look like in your daily life, and who can support you in this journey toward becoming a better man in Christ?

DO THIS: Stop giving excuses. Get in a biblical community with other men.

PRAY THIS: Lord, guide me to embrace the true connection and brotherhood you've shown us, breaking down the walls of excuses and indifference. Help me to walk in covenantal relationships, sacrificial commitment, and a transformed identity in you, finding strength and purpose through the example of your disciples. Amen.

PLAY THIS: Brother.